Brooks Glycerin 22: First Impressions

Glycerin 22: Quick Facts

What’s the Glycerin 22 all about?

The Brooks Glycerin has been an iconic model within the their neutral family of shoes, which sits above the Ghost 16 and below the Glycerin Max. We've found the Glycerin series to be a super popular shoe for runners and walkers wanting a stable neutral, cushioned shoe that offers really solid durability. It's now in its 22nd iteration and while it has remained relatively consistent over the years, the Glycerin 22 gets a brand new midsole foam and a new upper making it one of the more notable updates to the Glycerin series seen in a while!

So where does the Brooks Glycerin 22 sit in the market? For us, it sits right in that high cushion neutral daily trainer category, alongside shoes such as the Saucony Triumph, Asics Nimbus, New Balance 1080 and Mizuno Wave Sky. 

It's important to mention Brooks also offer a Glycerin GTS 22 which is essentially the stability version of the Glycerin 22, featuring guiderail support for those needing a little extra support. That version goes head to head with the Asics Kayano 31 and Saucony Hurricane 24.

There are two key changes in Glycerin 22:

1) Glycerin gets DNA Tuned

While the total stack height and drop remains unchanged from the Glycerin 21, the biggest update to the Glycerin 22 is in the midsole foam. The DNA Tuned foam we first saw debut in the higher stacked Brooks Glycerin Max has now been brought over to the Glycerin 22. The concept behind this midsole technology is having different shaped cells. Larger cells in the heel of the shoe creates a softer more cushioned feel on impact, whereas small cells in the forefoot make for a snappy responsive forefoot at toe off.

On first step in feel the Glycerin 22 feels a fraction softer than Glycerin 21, but hasn't lost any of the responsiveness. There's also some subtle flexibility through the forefoot, making this shoe a great option for runners wanting a relatively natural feeling shoe that doesn't roll you aggressively forward like the Brooks Glycerin Max. 

A common drawback of making a shoe more cushioned means it can impact the overall stability of the shoe. Good news is the Glycerin 22 still feels super stable and that's due to Brooks slightly broadening out the platform underfoot to create more surface area to land on.

2) Accommodating knit upper

Brooks continue to offer a very comfortable and accommodating fit with their uppers. This year, the Glycerin 22 gets a double-jacquard knit upper which feels more premium than the Glycerin 21. The upper does feel pretty substantial, there's plenty of padding throughout, in particular around the heel collar and tongue. It is really comfortable, but I don't expect it too be super breathable in the warmer months.

Brooks have added some nice touches to the upper such as the pull tab on the heel and the lace loops through the eyelet chain to keep the tongue in place. Brooks are continuing to offer the Glycerin in standard and wide widths for men and women, which makes the Glycerin 22 so accessible for runners and walkers with different foot types and shapes.

Our first thoughts

We think the Brooks Glycerin 22 will continue to offer a consistent, comfortable and reliable experience; whether you're a new runner, experienced marathoner or walker! It's still one of those shoes that works well for so many different runners, due to the fit, width options and offering both a neutral and GTS stability version of the shoe.

While the midsole is definitely softer, it's not a complete departure from the feel of previous Glycerin models you've come to expect. However, the updates to the Glycerin 22 do make it feel more refined and premium than before. 

We are looking forward to putting more kms into this shoe before our full review!

About the author

Nathan Pope - Runner and Shoe Nerd

I'm really passionate about running footwear and how shoes can be used as a tool to get the best of your running, whether that be general fitness or performance.

My favourite event is the marathon. I feel as though the marathon is the ultimate test both physically and mentally! It requires careful planning both within the race and during the training block and it can be super satisfying when it comes together on race day.